A Romantic's Sting
by imthepunchlord
Summary: Fu gives Marinette the bee miraculous, a chance to choose a new hero to work with, and she sees the perfection in Adrien. Adrien in turn, sees an opportunity. Flawed Adrien centered, with development.
1. Chapter 1

"Are you… sure about this?" Marinette wondered, sparing a nervous glance with Tikki. The kwami didn't offer Marinette anything other than a proud smile, looking up at Marinette with bright blue eyes. Not that it helped. She turned to Wayzz, finding some relief that he had a small frown on his face.

Good. Someone else was a little unsure about this. She certainly wasn't.

"I am," Fu said, bringing out a familiar little black box, smiling as he turned back to Marinette. He drew near, sitting across from her. "You've done well, Marinette. Come very far as a hero from where you started. I think this is the next level you're ready for."

Fu brought out the miraculous chest, carrying it over to the table between them, setting them both down.

Marinette protested, "But this is really big! Like, what if I chose wrong? What if I trip and the miraculous winds up in someone's awful's hands? What if—"

"Marinette it's ok," Tikki reassured, rushing up to snuggle up against Marinette's cheek.

"It will be," Wayzz encouraged, drawing near with a small smile, looking more relaxed. "You being worried about it backs that you will make a good choice. You'll be conscious of it."

"And I'll be here to help you," Tikki encouraged. Marinette gave the kwami a tight smile, still unsure.

With a hum, Fu picked up the bee comb, presenting it to Marinette. She took it slowly, looking over the golden and black miraculous, gleaming in her hand. "Choose a hero," Fu told her, "someone you think will do well."

With a small gulp, she took the box and set the hair comb in it, closing it. Licking her lips, she wondered, "Anything I should look for? Like, any tips?"

Fu smiled, pleased. "Guardianship is a challenge when giving someone a miraculous. When you see potential of a hero, you must consider what miraculous they match with. Which can be challenging, there are times someone can match with more than one miraculous. Though sometimes the situation can demand for a certain miraculous, like giving the ladybug to you. Ladybug is the best option against Hawk Moth than passing the turtle onto you, or any other miraculous."

"R-really?"

"But you aren't in the same situation. With Ladybug active, no pressure for you to find the most fit. Just look for a solid bee, keep a look out for promising traits in them. I would look for traits of someone with a strong sense of community, a willingness to work in a team or be a part of a team, and a good work ethic. They are diligent, communicative, flexible, productive..."

"So look for someone who matches these," Marinette murmured.

Fu nodded, smiling at the wary teen. "You've come far, Marinette. You'll make a good choice."

"And you will," Tikki said, her voice thick with pride, blue eyes shining as she gazed at Marinette. Marinette smiled, cheeks a little pink. With a little wiggle, Tikki darted close and nuzzled, finned tail wagging. With a grin, Marinette cupped her kwami, the closest to a hug that she could give Tikki.

"You've come very far," Wayzz encouraged, drawing near with a beam. "You'll find a solid bee hero."

"Yeah, I will!" Marinette jumped to her feet, pumped. "Don't worry, Master Fu! I'll find the perfect bee hero!"

"You will," Fu agreed.

With an eager nod, Marinette tore off, Tikki zipping behind her. Behind them, Wayzz and Fu smiled, watching them go.

"I think she has potential," Fu said, staring after the possible new Guardian.

Wayzz nodded. "It will depend on her judgment." That was what it came down to for Guardians, their capability to see potential and who was fit. And preferably, giving them the right miraculous.

* * *

Marinette paced back and forth, tapping her chin, restless. On her desk was the small black box, set in front of the class picture they took in the park. Above it, Tikki sat on the monitor, watching her holder go.

"You know, you can ask for my advice." Tikki floated up, patting her chest. "There have been a few Ladybug Guardians."

Marinette sat down with a sigh, slouching on her hand as she stared down at the box. Tikki sat down behind the small box, leaning on it as she stared up at her holder. She asked, "Do you have any ideas?"

Marinette glanced to the picture. She repeated, "Community, communication, diligence, productive…" True bees sound sociable and responsible. And Tikki added in that they were providers and nurturing and… the list went on with bee. It did help to see who wouldn't fit.

Not Ivan. He wasn't very sociable and liked to be on his own. Same for Nathanael, actually Marinette didn't really know him well, on the surface he didn't strike her as a bee. Same for Alix, Juleka, and Max.

Rose and Mylene Marinette could see as bees, but… she couldn't see them being good in battle. Rose was too sweet to hurt even a fly and Mylene would probably be terrified, a lot. Marinette didn't think it was impossible for either of them, but, it'd take them a bit of work. Rose would have to be willing to fight against another… no, probably not. That goes against her morals; even akumas she was willing to give a benefit of the doubt. Perhaps Mylene then? Marinette can remember being terrified too, too frozen to move or act that first time. But she also needs a great need for justice, a need to act and protect and help. But that also depended if her fear was stronger or sense and need to help was… Marinette rubbed her forehead, frowning.

She'll have Mylene as a maybe for bee. It'd take a bit of courage, but she, Chat, and the bee kwami could help her find it. But there were others to reconsider, Marinette glanced up, eyeing the picture to see what else.

Kim, no. Marinette liked him, he was a hoot and fun and energetic; but Kim with a miraculous? She can just picture him and Chat being bad influences on each other, goofing off all the time and she's left with even more work to make up for them both and just… no. Kim with a miraculous, at least right now, was a bad idea.

Chloe and Sabrina were definitely not. Chloe with a miraculous Marinette doesn't even want to think about. All she can picture is just abuse and her being really exhausted and Marinette would like to avoid more exhaustion. And Sabrina… she was hardworking, but not really socially inclined and very loyal to Chloe and that would just lead to Chloe getting the bee and that just… no. Too risky right now.

Now that left, Nino, Alya, and Adrien.

Marinette perked up, making Tikki rise to, her antennas set high attentively, her finned tail wiggling.

Marinette stared down at her friends, considering them.

She could see bee working with all of them. They all could be really good bees to have on the team. But who? Who should she choose?

With a torn whine, Marinette glanced to Tikki and asked, "What about Alya? She's diligent, hard working, gets along with people—"

"And wants to know who you are," Tikki reminded, antennas dropping back slightly. "She could use the bee to find out who you are, Marinette. And no one should know. It's too risky."

Marinette slouched, disappointed. That was true. As hardworking and passionate as Alya was, most of that did go to trying to find out who Ladybug was. As much as Marinette would love to work with Alya, giving her a miraculous was a risk. At least, for now.

She murmured to herself, "That leaves Nino and Adrien."

Humming, Tikki turned to eye the picture, specifically the two boys in the frame, the last options for bee. As tempted as Marinette was about Adrien, she turned her gaze to Nino. She listed off, "Nino is hard working. Probably works the hardest in the whole class. And he's pretty sociable and well liked." She knows he's friends with Kim, Max, and Rose. He got along with Adrien immediately, and was really supportive of his friend. He did have potential.

Tikki made a wary hum, frowning at the picture.

"What?" Marinette asked.

"I'm remembering back at Horrificator. He was very impatient with Mylene, putting so much pressure on her. And Alya, he didn't talk with her at all when he changed the script."

"So he's not a good choice," Marinette murmured.

Tikki floated up, waving her arms wildly. "Nonononono! I don't mean to discourage you, this is your choice. I'm just bringing up issues to consider. This is a teammate that will work with you and Chat, and you need to factor in issues. I do believe that Nino would be a solid teammate for you both, but be aware that he can be inconsiderate of who he's working with, especially when reaching his own goal." As Marinette's frown deepened, Tikki quickly added, "But! No one is perfect! And that's the beauty of miraculouses! We can all help you grow and bring out your strengths! For sure, Pollen could help Nino with this."

"But ideally, it should go to who's most fit," Marinette said. "The perfect choice. Not everyone works. Like, is there anyone else who could pull off Ladybug?"

Tikki was quiet, frowning as she considered Marinette's question. She shook her head, admitting, "Out of your class, you are most fit, but that doesn't mean that no one else works or could be Ladybug. Everyone is different and has different things to work on. You stood out most, but no, you're not the only potential Ladybug. Just as no one is the true only bee. Anyone could pull off bee. There are a lot of possibilities."

"But it should go to the most fit," Marinette repeated.

"Yes, ideally," Tikki sighed.

Marinette turned to the photo, looking to Adrien, looking past her crush and really considering him. She declared, "Adrien's perfect."

"Marinette?"

Marinette excitedly grabbed the little box, jumping up and pacing about, thrilled, eager, anticipating. She repeated, "Adrien is perfect! He's perfect for the bee! We found our bee, Tikki!" Marinette listed off, "He is hardworking, honest, considerate, well liked, sweet, is always quick to jump up and help others. He is perfect, Tikki! Adrien's a bee! We found our bee! I'm going to work with Adrien!"

Excited and giggling, Marinette jumped up and down, pigtails bouncing with her movement. Near her, Tikki faltered, frowning. "But Marinette—"

Marinette turned to her, wondering, "Can you even think of any flaws? Why Adrien doesn't work as a bee? What he would struggle with? How he wouldn't be a great teammate?"

Tikki hummed, considering this, recalling all she knows about Adrien. "Well… no. I can't think of any of his faults. I suppose he would be a pretty solid bee."

"He's perfect!" Marinette gushed, falling back on her chaise, clutching the little black box. Adrien's future miraculous. She was going to work with Adrien…

"Now, this seems like a flaw."

Marinette glanced at Tikki, brow raised. "What?"

Tikki waved to her, asking, "Would you be able to focus working with Adrien? Being Ladybug is more important than hanging out with your crush."

Marinette sat up with a pout. "I can focus."

Tikki gave her an unsure stare.

"I will focus," Marinette corrected, waving Tikki back. She smiled down at the box. She had Adrien's miraculous in her hand. She had found her bee. Her perfect bee. She was so excited.


	2. Chapter 2

Adrien was kind of worrying about Marinette today. Like, he knows that she could be rather clumsy, excitable, and a bit scattered but… never to this point?

Like today, she's been dropping a lot of stuff lately. More so than usual. It was a bit alarming how much someone could drop in a day. Maybe she was just having an off day?

Either way, like any good classmate, Adrien rushed to her aid, helping her gather up her things, handing them to her and checking to see if she needed help. And she was always so excited about it? More so than usual. Like, Adrien can get it, it's a great feeling to have a classmate help you, but it's not that thrilling? He doesn't think he's ever seen anyone smile so hugely with the offer of help.

Actually, made him a little concerned.

Was their class president being overworked?

Did a simple offer of help really light up her day that much?

Maybe he should talk to Aly and see if she has been helping Marinette at all, Adrien was starting to get concerned.

Maybe she was considering him taking Alya's place? She did ask him this really odd specific question:

 _"Hey, Adrien? Would you say you're pretty hardworking and productive?"_

 _"Oh yeah, I definitely am."_

And he was. Adrien can admit that he was very hardworking and productive. Juggling his busy schedule and being Chat Noir, he was hardworking and productive. Always something to do. Why, his schedule was more of a chore than heroing, being a hero was loads more fun and more freeing and just secured that he'd have a good time, especially to see his lady.

It made him wonder if she too had a busy life, if she was also juggling a lot. Maybe not, maybe that's why she could be so stiff sometimes in the suit. Personally, Adrien didn't think they needed to be, they had Miraculous Ladybug which could fix anything. And they always won. He thinks she could start relaxing a lot more, goof off with him and have a good time. Miraculouses don't have to be all work.

Either way, if Marinette asked if he could step in, he would have to refuse.

He would love to work with her, but he may not always have the time to spare to help her as needed. Between his schedule and random akumas, it'd be too risky.

Opening his locker, Adrien set his bag down, gathering up his fencing gear. Plagg floated up, going to the shelf above and nestling there to nap.

"I'll be back," Adrien promised.

"Take your time," Plagg said, sighing as he settled down. "I'm in no rush at all."

Rolling his eyes, Adrien went to the bathroom to change, unaware of Marinette lingering close by, watching him go. He didn't see her go to his locker, didn't see the red blur dive out of her purse and phase through the locker, letting it open slowly, allowing her to slip a small box into his bag.

She closed it and hurried away, feeling like she was walking on air.

It was done.

She gave Adrien the miraculous, she was going to work with Adrien, they were going to work with Adrien!

All that was left was for him to find it and for her to give Chat Noir a heads up.

There was a new teammate on the horizon!

* * *

"Ah, home sweet home," Plagg sighed aloud, darting out from under Adrien's jacket and rushing off to relax and enjoy his cheese. Before he could, Adrien hurriedly set his bag down and chased the kwami, snatching him up before he could start gorging himself.

"My cheese!" Plagg cried, reaching for it desperately.

"No time, Plagg," Adrien said. "We've got a patrol due right after school. And Ladybug is already out." Just to confirm it, there went Ladybug, zipping by his window, flying away with an eager twirl.

Adrien smiled, how cute. And she was in a good mood today! He had to join her as soon as possible!

"But cheese…" Plagg protested, looking up at Adrien with huge eyes.

"Patrol first," Adrien said, lifting up the ring. Plagg made a face. Ignoring the kwami's pout, Adrien ordered, "Claws out."

Chat hurried out of his room, eager to see his lady and to see what had put her in such a good mood. Plus, a Ladybug in a good mood was a fun Ladybug.

Seeing her stop on a roof, Chat hurried up, jumping high and dropping down behind her, landing with a well-practiced bow. "Afternoon, My Lady!" he greeted, "You're looking very radiant today!"

She turned to him with a grin, teasing, "Only today?"

"Oh, My Lady, you know you look good every day." He drew near, leaning on her shoulder and noting, "But in a great mood, now this I have to admit is a bit of a rarity."

She gave him look. "Really?"

"Gotta tell it as it is," Chat said, then pushed, "so, what brings this good mood?"

Ladybug's pout fell away with a huge, eager smile and she couldn't stop the adorable wiggle that went through her, making Chat's smile grow. "I have some great news!" she gushed.

He leaned on his baton, grinning. "I'm all ears."

"We're going to have a new hero joining us!"

He blinked, staring down at her in surprise. He smiled warily, asking, "Really?"

"Yes! Akumas are getting a little tougher and I've talked it out with my kwami, we could use some help," she said, rushing around him, her arms a blur in her excitement. "We're getting a new hero! Hopefully by tomorrow."

He frowned, asking, "And this won't be a repeat of Volpina?"

She gave him a flat look. She set her hands on her hips, huffing, "First of all, she came with an attitude." When Chat just frowned, Ladybug pressed on, "What were her exact words when she first appeared?"

"...Only hero Paris needs."

"And what did she do when she came to meet us?" Before Chat could answer, Ladybug continued, "Give orders. Told us what to do, no explanation on how she was involved against Hawk Moth, nothing on where she's been and why she didn't contact us sooner or why we should trust her judgment over ours when we haven't seen or heard anything about her. And Hawk Moth suddenly about and out in the open? It was all very suspicious."

Chat pursed his lips.

Ladybug shook her head, letting it go. "Anyway, that won't be happening this time. This hero is expected, for sure won't be working with Hawk Moth, and won't come at us with an attitude."

He raised a brow. "You have a lot of faith in this hero."

Ladybug grinned, gushing, "He's going to be amazing!"

Chat gave a start, tensing slightly. "Him?"

Ladybug nodded. "A bee hero. He's perfect, Chat!" Ladybug gushed. "He's hardworking, as sweet as honey, loyal, good with others… it's going to be amazing." Ladybug sighed, hands clasped together, leaning her cheek on them as her body rocked in a tender sway.

Behind her, Chat scowled, tail swishing in agitation. "So, you know who this newbee will be?"

"Yeah, I chose him," Ladybug said. "I know he'd be a great addition to the team."

"Why do you get to choose and decide?" he wondered, "Shouldn't you have talked this out with me? Do we really need another teammate?"

"Yeah, we do," Ladybug said, setting her hands on her hips as she turned to him. "Akumas are getting tougher, Chat. We're struggling—"

"We're not struggling—"

"We're struggling. We're getting close calls and I'm getting spread thin. My kwami and I discussed it and came to an agreement. We're getting a new bee hero, hopefully by tomorrow at the earliest."

He crossed his arms, frowning. "I should've been included," he said.

She sighed, body sagging. She agreed, "Yes, I should have. I'm sorry, but, have faith in my choice, Chat. I know this will work out and this is what we need… do you trust my choice?" she wondered, thinking back to Volpina, how Chat was sooner trusting a hero that came out of nowhere over her. They haven't really talked about it, had just let it slide, but she couldn't deny that a small part of her was bothered by that. It had hurt that he had brushed off her concerns, had more faith in a hero that had suddenly appeared and pushed them around.

"I trust you," Chat promised, though his tail gave another angry swish.

Her shoulders sagged a little, she murmured, "He's great, Chat, trust me. He'll be a great addition."

"Yeah. Let's just patrol." He didn't wait for her response before tearing off, having a hard time ignoring the angry burn in his chest, bothered by this and how much Ladybug seems to adore this guy. Why is he so great? Why didn't she talk it out with him? What makes this guy so worthy? There were so many others Chat could think that would be a good bee hero than this random kid that Ladybug seemed to like. Like… Chat trailed a little when he saw the bakery.

Marinette.

She'd be a good hero, a little clumsy sure, but good. Plus she was friends with them both, why not have her join the team?

And Nino! He was a good friend.

Chlo… well, she needed a little more work.

But all of them were better options than this kid, whoever he was. And that thought Chat clung to for the rest of the patrol, all he focused on till he got home. And his transformation dropped, he told Plagg, "What is she thinking? It's silly. We don't need help, not from this kid. And if we did, why not someone I know would be better?"

"You don't even know this kid," Plagg pointed out, heading for his cheese, sighing contently as he started to nibble on it. This was long awaited.

"I know better kids," Adrien insisted, dropping into his chair.

Plagg snorted. "The only kids you know is Nino, Princess, and the brat. The last one I wouldn't count as a better kid than who Ladybug is considering."

Adrien made a face. "Still, she should've talked with me."

"She should have," Plagg agreed, "but this is more her mission, one she's more involved with, so her choice can matter more."

Adrien frowned, pointing out, "I'm involved."

"Not as involved," Plagg pointed out. "You don't exactly care as much as she does."

"What?" Adrien drew near, looming over the kwami. "I care. I help her all the time!"

Plagg gave him a dry look and rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he grumbled, not in the mood for this. "Either way, there's going to be a newbee, try not to be too jealous and actually give this kid a chance, huh?"

Petty and annoyed, Adrien turned and gave his back a slight kick, making it topple over and sending a little black rolling out of his bag and across the floor.

Adrien and Plagg froze, watching it go.

It hit his couch and popped open. He had a second to see a bee comb before a bright yellow light shined out, rising up to hover in the middle of the room. It faded to reveal a bee kwami stretching out, paw covering its mouth as it yawned.

It relaxed with a sigh, turning its gaze to Adrien and offering him a sweet smile. "Hello, Honey."

Adrien's mind flew as he stared at it.

 _...I chose him._

 _He's perfect, Chat!_

 _He's hardworking, as sweet as honey, loyal, good with others… it's going to be amazing._

 _I know he'd be a great addition to the team._

 _...great addition to the team…_

"Honey?" the bee kwami called, drawing near and stiffening when she saw Plagg frowning on the desk, whiskers twitching with his wide green eyes locked on her. "Plagg?!"

"Ladybug thinks I'm great, that I'm amazing and worth being on the team," Adrien whispered, eyes going huge with glee and wonder, slouching back in his chair as the awe filled him.

Next to him, Plagg released a loud, tired groan.

He was going to need a lot more cheese for this.


	3. Chapter 3

For someone to own _two_ miraculouses, well, it was a rare. Doable and sometimes necessary, but this was definitely not one of those cases, a factor that both kwamis were very well aware of, staring at each other with their wide eyes, their small bodies tense ad haunched up. To them, this wasn't ideal nor a good idea.

Not that Adrien noticed, the boy was on cloud nine, pacing around his room, moving in an excited blur, caught in a blissful dream of the reality that Ladybug wanted to work with _him_ , thought that _he'd_ be an amazing addition, and just thought so highly of _him_. Ladybug knew _him_. _He_ knew Ladybug.

 _Ladybug wanted him. She_ really _liked him._

Excited and incoherent noises were all that could come out of Adrien as he moved about, oblivious to the eyes of the kwamis watching him go.

"I blame Ladybug for this," Plagg muttered, ears going down as Adrien released another loud swoon.

"It's sweet to see this, it's far better than when they don't get along," Pollen said with a slight smile, one that shrunk as she watched Adrien go, dropping on his bed and rolling around, messing up the bed and getting tangled up in the sheets. "But, I don't think I've ever seen… this."

"I have," Plagg grumbled, pulling another tin of Camembert to his side. "If we're lucky, this will just be another hour." If they weren't… maybe Plagg should start considering rationing his cheese.

Pollen raised a brow at the cat kwami. There was no way this was that bad. And Plagg did have tendencies to over exaggerate.

Both gave a start when Adrien wound up rolling himself off the bed and onto the floor with a loud _thud_. Pollen floated up, antennas perked up. She glanced to Plagg, asking, "Is he going to be ok?"

Adrien just squealed from where he laid on the floor.

"Definitely ok," Plagg said.

Pollen hummed, glancing back to her miraculous. "Well, it's great seeing you again, Plagg. Nice to see Paris is still standing—"

"I made one mistake—"

"But I should really be returned to—"

"NO!"

Both kwamis jumped when Adrien jumped up and bounded over, almost tripping over the sheets tangled around his ankles. He slammed his hands down on the counter, eyes set to Pollen. The bee kwami blinked at him, baffled. Raising a brow, she crossed her arms, jerking her hip out as she asked, "Excuse me?"

"You can't leave!" Adrien said.

"Honey, you already have a miraculous—"

"But _Ladybug_ gave you to me!"

Pollen narrowed her dark eyes. "That's well and dandy, but this is not a situation for you to have two miraculouses. I should be returned to Ladybug, be given to someone else."

"No!" Adrien stressed, starting to pace in front of the bee. "You don't understand, Ladybug gave you to me, she wants me on the team!"

"You're already on the team—"

"Yeah, Chat Noir is, but not me! Ladybug chose Adrien, wants to work with Adrien, this is my chance!" Adrien leaned close, gazing down at Pollen pleadingly. "This is my chance to get close to Ladybug, she'll know it's me. Wants to hang out with me. This is my chance !"

"You can't be serious," Pollen murmured.

"Oh, he's serious," Plagg said.

"So serious," Adrien backed.

Pollen frowned and shook her head, crossing her arms as she floated away from Adrien. "This isn't a good idea. To use two miraculouses, that's saved for situations that need them! You getting close to your crush is not a situation that needs you owning two miraculouses!"

"It'll be fine!" Adrien insisted.

Pollen huffed, giving the boy a flat stare. She turned to the cat kwami, waving to Adrien. "Plagg, he's your holder, talk some sense into him!"

Plagg shrugged. "He's not really good at listening when he doesn't want to."

"Well, now is the time to," Pollen declared, setting her black paws on her hips as she turned to Adrien, her stare firm. "You are to return me to Ladybug immediately. I should be given to someone else."

Plagg floated up, backing, "Besides, I don't think your Lady Love will respond well to seeing Chat with stripes."

"Good thing she won't be seeing Chat Tigre," Adrien shot back. "I'll just have Chat benched while I'll _bee_ me."

Plagg and Pollen stared at him for a moment before Pollen broke, snickering at the pun. "Sorry," she murmured when Plagg gave her a look. "You know I'm weak to puns."

Adrien beamed, hopeful and excited. He added, "I pawmise, Pollen, I can be purrty punny."

Plagg released a loud groan while Pollen released another giggle. Crossing his arms, Plagg glared down at Adrien, tail swishing in displeasure. "Kid, this isn't a good idea."

"I think it's a great idea!"

"Well, yeah, cause _you_ thought of it."

"Think of it this way, Plagg," Adrien said, picking up the bee comb and setting it in his hair, then a tin of Camembert, grinning as Plagg perked, "I bee me, not Chat Noir. And you've said you needed a break, well, here's your chance for one!"

Plagg's ears perked, the kwami humming as he considered this. He has been wanting a real vacation…

Pollen shot him a look, setting her paws on her hips. "You can't bee serious."

"A vacation," Plagg murmured, grinning as he mulled it over. "That does sound nice…"

"Very nice," Adrien backed, offering the tin of Camembert.

"Sounds like a great plan!" Plagg declared, snatching up the wheel and spinning about in delight. "I get a vacation and you get to spend time with your crush!"

"Both of you are crazy," Pollen decided.

"Come on, Pollen," Adrien urged. "Look, I'll keep you for like, a week, and after an akuma or two, I'll say that heroing just isn't for me and give you back to Ladybug, after we get close and start dating, of course."

Pollen gave an unimpressed hum. "You have this all figured out, don't you?"

Adrien gave her a pleading smile, putting on his best kitten eyes. The bee kwami just continued to frown, not budging an inch as she stared down at Adrien with her unnerving eyes. Plagg drifted up behind her, urging, "Aw, come on, Polly, what's life without whimsy?"

Pollen shot him a look. "You're only up for this so you get time off you lazy good for nothing!"

"And you love to work!" Plagg shot back. "This works for us both!"

"Oh sting me," Pollen muttered.

"Sting," Adrien hummed, "that has potential. Maybe… Stinger Bee?"

Pollen reached up and rubbed her eyes, feeling tired already despite her just waking up. This was not going to go well, she can feel it in her magical core.

* * *

Tikki sat on top of the computer monitor, watching her holder pace back and forth, restless, excited, nervous. She was well aware that Adrien had the bee and that it was just a matter of time for him to find it, but she didn't know if she could take the anticipation. Tomorrow, Adrien might be joining them, tomorrow, they're going to have a new teammate, tomorrow, she was going to work with Adrien!

"I can't take it, Tikki!" Marinette cried out, whipping around towards the kwami. "Tomorrow I'm going to be working with Adrien! Can you believe it?!"

"I can," Tikki sighed. "But I don't know if I can believe that you can handle this."

Marinette pouted at her kwami. "I can."

Tikki raised a brow.

Marinette sighed. "He's coming into another part of my life, Tikki. We're going to be heroes together, all three of us! I'm going to be working with my two favorite boys! This is so exciting!"

"It is, but you have to be careful to not let this get to your head. Ladybug and your duties are far more important."

Marinette crossed her arms, insisting, "Spending time with my crush and becoming better friends with him is important too. It's good for my self-esteem."

Tikki sighed, "Just don't let it take over your duty."

"I won't," Marinette promised. "I was able to focus in Jackady."

Tikki offered her a smile, a little encouraged. Marinette moved to speak only to give a start when she heard a loud cheer fill the air. Marinette raced to her window, face pressed against the glass, eyes locked on the yellow figure running along the rooftops.

Marinette's heart skipped an excited beat.

"He's out!" she whispered.

Adrien found the bee. He was active and about.

Tikki floated close, watching the new bee hero move. With a slight smile, she nudged Marinette cheek. "You ready to go see him?"

Marinette turned to the kwami with a squeal. "I'm so nervous excited!"

Tikki chuckled. "Should work on getting over that with your new teammate." With a poke on Marinette's nose, Tikki encouraged, "You got this, Marinette."

"Spots on, Tikki!"

Ladybug hurried outside, hopping onto her railing, watching him go. She gulped, feeling a nervousness settle on her chest, making her shaky. This was it. She could do this. It was Adrien, it was just Adrien. Her teammate. Go say hello, and don't be weird. She's got this, it was ok. Just, go. Go greet her new teammate.

She breathed in, held it for a few seconds, and breathed out.

Before she thought about it too much, she moved, following after the bee, pleased to see him move so easily along the roofs. She was right, he was perfect, a natural here. She made a good choice, Adrien was going to be a great addition to the team.

The bee stopped, and turned, his green set against a dark blue sclera, beaming when his gaze settled on her. "Ladybug," he breathed, looking awed to see her, making her blush.

"Hello, hero," she returned, crossing her arms around her back, rocking back and forth, toeing at the roof a little. Then she straightened, squaring her shoulders to be more serious, trying to at least, with her smile still shaky and her cheeks flushed pink. Adrien was no help either, his own cheeks going pink with a sweet, flustered smile on his lips, rubbing the back of his neck, his soft, tender gaze set on her.

Clearing her throat, she said, "Came to welcome you to the team, and see how you're doing. I hope your kwami didn't scare you too much…"

"Nah, Pollen's a sweetie. We're both looking forward to joining you and Chat Noir," Adrien said, drawing near her.

Ladybug bit her lip to keep an incoherent noise down. Just breath, just breath, just breath…

Adrien held out a black glove, his fingers golden and bright. "You can call me… I'm thinking Stinger Bee. Though I haven't decided yet."

She grinned. "Stinger Bee has a nice ring to it."

He hummed, leaning down, watching her eyes widen as her cheeks went redder. He whispered, his smile growing as he took in her wide-eyed stare, "Although, Adonis also has a nice ring to it."

He giggled when she turned away with a squeak, burying her face into her gloves. Maybe Tikki was right, maybe this will be too much…

Down the street from them, Wayzz frowned from where he was perched on Fu's head, the two curious to see who Marinette had chosen. Wayzz was not amused. "She chose Chat Noir. She chose him to have the bee…"

Fu hummed, simply nodding his head.

Wayzz glanced down, unimpressed with his master. "You want to see how this will end?"

"Yes, yes I do."

"Oh, Master…"

Wayzz didn't have a good feeling about this.


	4. Chapter 4

Was Plagg in a lot of trouble? Particularly with Tikki?

Yes.

Was he going to regret this later?

Probably.

Was Tikki going to be furious?

Most definitely.

Did he care right now?

Nope, not at all. If anything, the kwami was having the time of his life. With no need to transform or patrol, he could just sit back and relax. He lounged on Adrien's pillow, patting his round stomach happily, full of Camembert that he just spent the very important patrol night dining on. And it was amazing. What a wonderous evening, this was such a great idea. Great enough that he can easily ignore all the trouble he was going to be in later. This was just way to nice to stress about it now.

Plagg arced and stretched, squirming about as he rolled onto his side and dug his paws into the pillow, and gliding along it, smearing cheese crumbs over it as he went. He finished with a roll, flopping off the pillow and dropping onto the mattress where he stretched out one more time before settling down.

This was so niiiiiiice.

He was probably going to regret this later but right now, Plagg was having the time of this life. For him, this night doesn't have to ever end.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. Just as Plagg was dozing away, he was awakened when his holder dropped into his room with a giddy cheer.

The cat glared at him with one eye as the oblivious bee hero started to pace about, practically vibrating with happiness. Plagg sighed, rolling over to pout and stubbornly hold onto this night. He didn't want it to be over yet.

Not that Adrien got the memo.

"Plagg! Oh my gosh, it was _amazing_! Did you know Ladybug can blush?" Adrien prattled, dropping onto his bed and making the huffing kwami bounce. Adrien turned around, cupping his cheeks with his gloves, a glowing smile on his lips. "I made her blush so much."

"And now I got to hear about it," Plagg muttered, drifting away from Adrien to get some space, and to keep from getting bounced again. Sitting on top of Adrien's middle computer screen, Plagg wondered out, "So, did she wonder about Chat Noir at all?"

"She did, did try to call Chat so we can 'meet', but, I directed her attention away," the bee hero reassured as he got up, setting his hands on his hips, looking pleased.

Plagg gave a small hum, nodding his head lazily. "So, he wondered, what will you do when Ladybug's expecting Chat and _you_?"

"I can do it, Plagg," the hero brushed off. "I'm easily juggling two lives already, I can handle a third."

He allowed his transformation to fall away, just as Pollen spun out of the comb, stopping to give Adrien a dry look. She said, "I have to back Plagg on this, Adrien. You should stop while you're ahead. Give the comb back to Ladybu—"

"Pollen," Adrien cut in, making a face at the kwami. "That won't make sense! I come out, doing perfectly fine as a hero, and then I don't want it anymore? We should at least wait till an akuma shows."

"You mean the akuma where she'll be expecting you _and_ Chat Noir?" Pollen brought up again, setting her paws on her hips. "Adrien, Honey, do you know why I was released."

"Cause you're the buzz?" Adrien offered, giving her finger guns.

Pollen struggled to fight off a smile before shaking her head. "Ladybug had me so she can get more help. You having me doesn't provide more help, she wants help from Chat Noir and—"

"It'll be ok," Adrien persisted, walking by Pollen. "We handle akumas easily."

"Apparently not that easily if I'm here," Pollen persisted, following Adrien. "Ladybug has a big responsibility, Adrien. She can't skip over it, she always has to succeed and that, Honey, is a lot of pressure. If other miraculouses are released, it's to help Ladybug make that pressure lighter, make things easier so they don't overwhelm themselves or overwork themselves or don't shoulder everything alone, which a lot of Ladybugs will do. This is why I should be given back to her as soon as possib—"

"After the first akuma attack," Adrien decided, stopping at his bathroom door. "I'll go through the first attack, realize it's not for me, and return the miraculous, ok?"

Pollen sighed, crossing her arms as she stared down at Adrien with a frown.

"It'll be fine," Adrien said. "Plus, Ladybug is interested in me. Do you know how wild that is? This is my chance to start dating her!"

"Yes, that's well and nice, but, some things are far more important than—"

"It's important to me," Adrien said, pouting at Pollen. He turned, insisting, "It'll be ok. I'll give you back to Ladybug after the first akuma, by that point, we'll be dating and it'll be amazing. So relax, it'll be ok."

He closed the door on the gaping kwami, not looking back at all. With an angry buzz, Pollen darted to Plagg's side, her body wiggling in agitation. "Is he always like this?!" she demanded.

"Not always," Plagg said, leaning away from the angry bee. "But, he does have tendencies of brushing you off when you say something he doesn't like to hear."

Pollen sat down next to him, her arms crossed. "Are you serious?"

"Oh yeah, like, Copycat, I called him out on his jealousy and all I got for it was a 'ha ha'." Plagg rolled his eyes. "Adrien is a good kid, Poll, but if he doesn't like what he hears, he won't hear it."

"And you haven't fixed this, why?" Pollen wondered, frowning at the cat.

"Hey, I'm not much of a teacher," Plagg said.

"Your job is teaching," Pollen huffed, crossing her arms as she scowled at Plagg.

"And I find life's a better teacher," Plagg replied, ears going down as his tail curled in displeasure. "I get kids who usually don't like to listen, they like to do what they want. Good trait for a cat that needs to get involved, but exhausting to restrain. So, I just let their own mistakes teach them a lesson."

"Some of those mistakes can be avoided though," Pollen pointed.

Plagg sighed. "Why couldn't it be Trixx? She'd get it."

"This is why cats and foxes have a mixed reputation," Pollen huffed. "You're both too lenient and not as involved as you should be."

"There is such a thing as being too involved," Plagg countered.

"As we can see here, that's necessary." Pollen waved to the door. "That's why I'm here, to provide help to Ladybug who is overworked, juggling a lot of responsibilities, Wayzz has even mentioned concern on whether or not she's getting enough sleep with how much she does and just…" Pollen shook her head. "She's getting overworked and overwhelmed juggling so much."

Plagg sighed. "And Tikki probably isn't that big a help, pushing her to tackle on more."

"She does like her Ladybugs to be leaders, and for the most part, they are brilliant leaders and can handle a lot. But she is still a child, one who's taking on more than she should. That's why I'm here, not Trixx. Bees are dutiful and hardworking, and can help balance out the load, Adrien, he doesn't have the same drive in this. He doesn't take akuma attacks as seriously, he doesn't pay attention as much as he should…"

Pollen shook her head, sagging where she sits. "It leaves a lot more work and pressure on this Ladybug. And that's not fair. That's not being a good partner."

"To be fair," Plagg voiced, "his father is as loving as a glacier. And most of his life he's been caged with a leash so tight, it practically chokes him. He needs that freedom and he needs that fun. He needs to make mistakes, to be goofy, to figure himself out."

Pollen sagged. "Plagg, what's the point of making mistakes when he isn't learning?"

"Part of that is Miraculous Ladybug," Plagg mumbled.

"I can get him needing this time to figure himself out, to relax and have fun, but this is at the expense of a partner who is starting shoulder this load a lot more than him. Ladybugs will do it, they'll take the weight world if they have to and sometimes they can't—"

"I get it," Plagg huffed.

"He doesn't need to become all serious," Pollen said. "But he does need to step up. He needs to grow. Pay attention more, be more focused. He's had his fun, but things are getting a little more serious, a little more weighted. It's time to step up."

Plagg gave her a dry look before sighing. "I'll work on it."

"Good," Pollen bid with a nod.

Both turned to see Adrien come out, looking refreshed and happy with himself. Ignoring the two, he dropped on his bed with a happy sigh, missing Plagg's amused smirk.

Just a few seconds passed before Adrien noticed what was off.

"Ugh! Plagg! Why is there cheese on pillow?!"

Plagg snickered, darting down into the trash bin as Adrien grumbled about cheese in his hair. Pollen gazed between the two, shaking her head slightly.

Well, if she was going to be here, she had a lot of work to do.


	5. Chapter 5

When Marinette woke that morning, she stretched out with a hum, nuzzling her pillow affectionately as she pulled it up into a tight hug. As the morning light poked at her face, she cracked an eye open, staring at her pink wall. She rolled over with a hum, laying out and just taking a moment to lie still.

"Tikki," she voiced, hearing her kwami hum nearby. "I had the most amazing dream…" Marinette sat up, her messy hair bouncing about as she gazed down at her kwami, watching her crack one sleepy blue eye open to gaze up at her. "I had a dream that Adrien just became a hero and was going to work with Chat and I."

Giving Marinette a sleepy blink, the kwami smiled and shook her head, amused and fond. "It wasn't a dream, Marinette." Tikki yawned and nuzzled her pillow while Marinette went stiff.

"What," Marinette whispered.

"Mhmm… we gave him the bee yesterday. You guys stayed out for a while talking…"

"What?!" Marinette cried out, jumping up only to drop down with a wince, hitting her head on her shelf. Tikki made a face as she bounced. So much for sleep…

Marinette leaned down, gazing at Tikki with wide eyes. "I really gave Adrient the bee miraculous and he's working with us? It wasn't a dream?"

Tikki shook her head, yawning as she sat up, rubbing her cheeks to help wake up. "We talked about it," Tikki said, "we agreed that out of all your classmates, Adrien had the best potential for bee. He will be working and helping you and Chat Noir from here on out."

"Oh my gosh," Marinette whispered, sitting up and pulling her cat plush into her arms, giving the head a tight squeeze. "I'm actually going to work with Adrien."

"Don't let it get to your head too much," Tikki reminded, floating up and giving Marinette a frown. "You have a duty as Ladybug, and keeping Paris safe is far more important than spending time with your crush."

Marinette made a face before sighing. "I know, but… I am focused on it, Tikki, I only thought to give Adrien the miraculous because he has the traits to match. Him being my crush is a bonus."

"I'm worried it may get in the way," Tikki sighed.

"It won't, I can handle it," Marinette said, crawling past Tikki and heading down stairs to change and get ready for the day. "Like, I already handle a lot. I'm being Ladybug saving Paris, I take commissions, I help the bakery, stay on top of school, for the most part, and is class president whose always on task and will help students with whatever issue they need."

She stopped before the mirror, making a face at the messy bedhead. She looked at Tikki as the kwami floated behind her. "I do a lot, have been handling a lot. Enough that Master Fu thinks it's not too bad an idea for another miraculous to be active. And that's what Adrien will be, a big help! He'll be someone I can discuss plans with, someone to help me keep Chat out of trouble when he rushes in, be another support and help keep the akuma attention while I figure out what to do with Lucky Charms. It's going to be great, we're going to be such a trio!"

Tikki offered her a small smile and darted away for breakfast. Marinette hummed away, brushing her hair, straightening it, beaming as giddiness rushed through her. She was going to have help! Her responsibility load was going to get lighter! She's not going to be so drained, she's going to have more help, going to work with her two favorite boys, have a chance to better get to know her crush…

She was excited. This was going to work out. This was such a great choice. There were no cons that she could think of, and Tikki's fears, Marinette will show her that she has nothing to worry about. Marinette has been able to get herself together before and focus on the task at hand. Biggest thing she can think of is getting used to Adrien being on the team and it shouldn't take too long. She and Adrien were on speaking terms, she was talking to him easier, didn't have as many bouts of excitement.

She's got this. It was going to work out. She made a great choice and it was going to work out. When she was ready for the day, Tikki settled in her purse, Marinette was off. At school, she found something she wasn't entirely prepared for. Coming into class and seeing the glistening bee comb set in Adrien's hair, she just had to stop and take it in.

Adrien had a miraculous.

She knew who had a miraculous.

It left her excited to know that she was working with her crush till it really clicked that she knew and a pit of dread settled in her stomach.

She knew.

That was a liability she forgot. She knew, and that put Adrien and his family and his friends in danger and if she got hit by an akuma she could—

"Marinette?"

She jumped, seeing Adrien, Nino, and Alya staring at her, all frowning with brows raised in concern.

"Just a minute," she hurried out, rushing back into the hall.

Tikki was out in an instant, gazing up at her holder in concern.

"Tikki, I know," Marinette stressed, staring to pace about in the far corner of hall. "I'm a liability, a risk. I broke the rule, I know."

Tikki darted up, setting a paw on Marinette's cheek and shushing her. "Hey, hey, it's ok. Breath, Marinette, just take a breath."

Marinette did, breathing in and out, keeping her eyes on the calm kwami floating before her, offering the teen a soothing smile. "It's ok. Yes, it's a risk, but it's reassuring that you know that. It means you'll be careful. Master Fu is aware of that, he trusts that you can be trusted with knowing, that you know the danger and risk of know who a holder is. You'll be careful with that secret, will guard it. It's one of the duties of Guardians and I know you can do it, Marinette. You'll keep Adrien's secret safe. You got this."

"Ok, I can do it, just, act like normal and that I totally don't know that he's Stinger Bee. Ok, I can do that," she murmured.

With a giggle, Tikki voiced, "I thought his name was Adonis?"

Marinette shook her head, cheeks warming as she struggled to not smile. "I can't. One, that reminds me of Chat too much, two, I just… can't handle that yet." Marinette paused, frowning. She grasped her chin, murmuring, "You know, that really was pretty Chat of him. I didn't know Adrien had such an ego, and could be so forward."

Tikki shrugged, and teased, "Maybe he's like that with the girls he likes, he can be pretty forward with you sometimes."

"Tikki!" Marinette hissed, blushing.

Tikki giggled and poked Marinette's nose affectionately, "Come on, let's hurry back before people start wondering where you are."

"Right, thanks Tikki," Marinette said, opening up her purse.

"Anytime."

Marinette hurried back to class, careful to not look at Adrien and sat down beside Alya, just in time for Bustier to come in, cutting her best friend off for asking. Now that Marinette had a moment, she gazed down at Adrien, noting the gleam of the hair comb, taking it in and getting used to the sight with a soft smile.

She was going to work with Adrien, really have a chance to get to know her crush, to work with him on a team with her and Chat. And her responsibility load was going to be lighter.

This was going to be great.

Down in her purse, Tikki peeked out to Adrien's bag, her fins wagging in excitement. With Adrien having the bee, Pollen was out and active. She could see her sister again.

Biding her time, waiting till class was going and everyone was focused on the teacher, Tikki darted down and phased into Adrien's bag, eager to see the bee kwami again.

Only, Pollen was in Adrien's bag or hiding among his books, there was no pleasant hum to greet the ladybug kwami. With a thoughtful frown, Tikki concluded that she must be in his locker.

Tikki peeked out, looking around, really considering this.

It was a bit risky if Tikki was away and an akuma showed, but, usually they didn't appear this early in the morning. She had a few hours tops. Perhaps, just this once, Tikki can give into her want to see another kwami. She didn't know where Plagg was so could never see him on a whim, but with them knowing Adrien was the bee hero, Pollen was in reach.

And kwami chances of seeing their family was far and few in between.

Just this once, she'll give in and see her sister. Just a quick visit. Just a quick nuzzle and nestle. She'll be back before anything would happen.

Tikki darted away, phasing through the wall and heading for the lockerroom below, her small form filled with anticipation.

In Adrien's locker, Plagg found he had trouble napping. He laid out on Adrien's fencing gear, watching Pollen dart around him, restless and agitated. Rubbing his face with a frusrtated groan, he huffed, "Can you calm down, Pol?"

"Calm down," Pollen huffed back, pausing to turn to Plagg with a frown. "He left us in a locker."

"Yeah… I lost a right to be in the classroom after causing Rogorcop."

Pollen paused, raising a brow. "You caused an akuma?"

"Hey, it was a shiny bracelet," Plagg said with a pout.

Pollen rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Why am I not surprised…" She turned, frowning at the locker door. "Really, we should be with him, what if an akuma shows?"

"Believe me, how much that kid jumps up to an attack, we won't have to wait long. Plus, gives me more time to nap before work."

"When have you become so lazy," Pollen wondered.

Plagg shrugged and rolled over, stretching out with a content sigh, ignoring Pollen as she resumed her restless pace.

He didn't get far in his doze when he went stiff when a familiar and angry voice spoke out above him.

"What, is going on?"

He looked up seeing Tikki hovering in the locker room, her fierce blue eyes gazing down at both kwamis.

Plagg did the only sensible thing he can do when facing an angry Tikki.

"Pollen agreed to it!" he cried out, pointing to the gaping bee kwami.

As Pollen made an angry buzz, Tikki crossed her arms and narrowed eyes in a scolding manner.

Looks like this visit wasn't going to be as pleasant as she had hoped.


	6. Chapter 6

**HEADS UP.**

 **So, with this turning more into Adrien is flawed fic, renamed it to A Romantic's Sting. Also, for personal reasons, moving onto Archive of Our Own. I will finish the fics I have up here, but everything new will be on Ao3.**

* * *

Tikki rubbed her cheeks, wishing that her arms were long enough to reach her forehead to rub it like so many humans did when tired and frustrated. But cheeks would have to do. It was all she could reach and rub, trying to manage the frustration building up in her. She cracked her eyes open, eyeing the two kwamis across from her.

Plagg was playing cool, trying to look like he wasn't unnerved at all, though his twitching tail suggested that he was leery of this, didn't plan to get caught. Beside him, Pollen kept shuffling about, twitchy with her lips pursed.

"Let me get this straight," Tikki started. "Adrien is actually Chat Noir. And we just gave the bee to Chat Noir. Who is keeping it instead of returning it."

"Yeah…" Plagg confirmed, trailing as his tail swished behind him.

"He's in love," Pollen said, shifting as Tikki's gaze turned to her. "He's taking the chance to get closer to Ladybug."

Tikki started to rub her cheeks again. Giving Plagg a look, Tikki asked, "Do you know why the bee is out?"

"Hey! This was not my idea! This is all Adrien, take it up with him," Plagg hurried out.

"I may," Tikki grouched, "because this is missing the point. Ma— my holder, she's getting overworked, juggling a lot and bee being out was to _help_ , be a third party member, a third support, this—" Tikki waved her arms around the locker, "isn't going to help!" Tikki darted up, rushing around in a blur, stressed and agitated. "This is risky! Dangerous! Only in extreme situations should someone be allowed to have two miraculouses!"

She stopped, whipping around and gazing down at the two.

"I've tried," Pollen sighed drifting up and pacing around Tikki, just as peeved. Below the two, Plagg sighed and flopped back, not in the mood for this. "The boy is set to spend time with Ladybug, but he has told me that after the first akuma attack, he will inform her that it's not cut out for him and will return the bee miraculous to Ladybug then."

Tikki frowned, crossing her arms as she considered this. "Well, at least he's not keeping you… but, there's supposed to be two heroes joining Ladybug, that was what was expected—"

"Look," Plagg voiced, sitting up and giving Tikki a tired look. "We've been handling akumas well enough, they're a pretty solid duo. Yeah, they still have some things to work out, but still a pretty good team overall. It's just one akuma, then Pollen is given back to Ladybug, and we can start rethinking who gets the bee."

"I would love to have a chance to take a look and see who's out there," Pollen voiced, sparing a glance to the locker door. "Though, that'd be easier if Adrien kept us with him."

"Talk it out with him," Tikki said, "get him to allow you in his bag so you can look at the classmates. Hopefully, an akuma will show soon, and the bee can be given to someone else, so we can truly have some help." Tikki frowned, finned tail drooping. She was so nervous about this, nervous about the outcome, of what could happen.

She can't ignore that Marinette was also partly doing this to get closer to Adrien, though she was also doing this because she thought Adrien would be a good teammate and help her _and_ Chat Noir.

And if one only showed…

"Don't freak out about it, Tikki," Plagg voiced. "It'll work out in the end, I'm sure."

"They don't always work out," Tikki reminded.

"Well, this isn't the same time period," Plagg pointed out.

Pollen set a paw on Tikki's shoulder, raising a slight brow. "Plagg is… well, right. Things aren't the same as before, so perhaps we can be a little laxer with this."

TIkki pursed her lips before nodding. She can be. She has revealed the Guardian to Marinette, being the first between her and Plagg to break that rule. And things are the same as they were before, so maybe this will work out.

Floating up, Tikki declared, "I'm heading back. Pollen, talk to Adrien and see if you can get him to take you with him so you can start looking at potential classmates. Hopefully, an akuma will show soon and we won't have to stress Adrien having two and Ladybug still being down to one partner to help her."

Pollen smiled and nodded. "It'll work out."

Tikki offered her own tight smile back. "Nice to see you again, Pollen. Plagg, take care, don't eat too much cheese."

"Don't tempt me, Teek."

Tikki phased through the locker, rushing back to Marinette's bag. Left alone, the two kwamis gave a weary sigh.

They hoped it would work out…

* * *

Tikki was oddly quiet as Marinette slipped into her room, setting her things down, watching as the kwami floated out, cheeks puffed, looking agitated. Tikki's been like this all day, pouting in her purse, not cluing Marinette in at all why the kwami was so bothered. Even when she asked, Tikki wouldn't tell her.

Marinette was at a loss on what to do to improve the kwami's mood. She offered Tikki a cookie, played some of her favorite music, and still, Tikki went to sit on the umbrella Marinette had at the chaise, gazing out the window with a thoughtful frown. Marinette came to stand beside the kwami, reaching out and rubbing her finger against Tikki's cheek just like her maman would when she was down.

Tikki gave a start, blinking rapidly as she turned to glance up at Marinette. Marinette offered her a smile and gave her another affectionate poke. With a soft giggle, Tikki leaned back and nuzzled her, releasing a sigh.

"You ok?" Marinette asked. "You seem on edge."

"I'll be ok, just a… little worried."

Marinette tilted her head, brows furrowed. "About what?"

Tikki shook her head. "Are we going to go see Chat?"

"Yes! He's actually probably out there. Tikki, spots on!"

Ladybug hopped onto her balcony, closing the door behind her and turning to the city, hands on her hips. She breathed in and raced forward. This will be her second time seeing Chat after that little fight. She wondered if he was still going to be sour about it, or if he was going to be more open with her decision. She also wondered if Stinger Bee was going to be joining them.

She stopped on top of a building, frowning slightly. She hoped that this would go well. She wanted her team to get along. Not only would it promise a good time and a strong bond between them, a team that got along was a team that would be efficient with akumas.

And that was the goal.

Help with akumas.

And tonight, they were dipping their toe in the water, to see how well Chat and Stinger Bee got along. They should, they were similar enough both being very sweet and earnest, but just enough differences between them, with Chat being goofy and Adrien very poised. They were going to get along, it was going to work out.

No, it _will_ work out!

"Giving yourself a mental pep talk?"

Ladybug jumped, turning to see a grinning Chat beside. With a huff, she gave the coy cat a shove, making him chuckle.

"No need to be so stressed, My Lady," he said with a slight tease. "I actually met, Stinger Bee."

Ladybug blinked, perking. "You did?"

"You were right," he said, "it wasn't a bad idea to get another teammate on board and we did get along very well." He watched her smile at the reassurance, shoulders sagging.

With a big smile, she said, "Excellent! I'll call Stinger Bee and see if he wants to join us for our first patrol!"

Chat tensed as she held up her yo-yo, ready to make that call and quickly stopped her. "Th-that won't be necessary!" Chat quickly said.

Ladybug blinked at him, head tilting slightly. "Why not?"

"I talked to him earlier," Chat lied, "he's busy tonight. But will join you for the next pawtrol."

"Oh. Ok."

"Also, we agreed that we'll cover night patrols together!" At Ladybug's raised brow, Chat said, "One of the reasons for this is because you're a little overworked, right? Catch up on some sleep and leave the night patrols to us!"

Ladybug pursed her lips and nodded. "O..k. Thanks, Chat. That would help, but if you need help, don't be afraid to call in!"

"Of course, My Lady!" He waved out to the Parisian roofs with a smile. "So, shall we head off for our pawtrol?"

"Yes. And if you corrupt Stinger Bee with puns, I am no longer going to bring you cookies."

Chat grinned. "But what if he's already a punner."

"I've only heard him pun once. If he was a real punner, he'd spam them every few hours like you." She raced off while Chat snickered behind her, amused with the fact that she had no idea. Just wait till she did her first patrol with Stinger Bee.

As the two raced away, looking through the streets, Ladybug felt full of relief and optimism at how much easier things were going to be with help. Chat meanwhile was patting himself on the back, pleased.

He was going to pull this off, he was going to get his chance to get Ladybug to love him and date him. This was going to work out.


	7. Chapter 7

**HEADS UP.**

 **So, with this turning more into Adrien is flawed fic, renamed it to A Romantic's Sting. Also, for personal reasons, moving onto Archive of Our Own. I will finish the fics I have up here, but everything new will be on Ao3.**

* * *

How did it come to this? This whole mess Pollen was dropped in.

Pollen truly wondered. Looking over the two, Adrien set on the couch, Plagg eating away at his cheese, the two set so far apart from each other. She wondered if that was part of it, Plagg's lack of guidance and involvement. Was it because his laziness was at a spike? Pollen glanced to Adrien, humming to herself, or was it the boy's lack of listening that discouraged the kwami?

Unable to get through to Plagg about this, Pollen darted to Adrien's side, hovering over the couch, watching him play a video game on the screen, his tongue sticking out. Pollen watched him, looking at the boy she was given to, considering him.

If she was going to turn things around, Adrien was going to need discipline. He was going to need direction, going to need someone involved. If Plagg wasn't going to do so then Pollen shall. And hopefully, she can get them both back in shape before she was given to another.

"Oh! Pollen!"

She blinked, seeing Adrien beaming when he spotted her. He held up a controller, asking, "You want to play with me?"

Smiling slightly, pointing out, "I might be too small for that."

Adrien blinked then pursed his lips. "Yeah… you would be." With a sigh, he turned back to the screen, resuming his play. Pollen floated down, resting on his knee, watching him go and considering her words. Adrien glanced at her, aware of her stare. With a smile, he asked, "You want to watch me play?"

"I want to talk to you about this," Pollen said instead, looking to the bee comb set in his hair. "This whole situation."

"Isn't it great?" Adrien asked, turning back to his game, a big smile on his lips. "Ladybug and I are going to start dating, I just know it."

"Yes, that is what I wanted to talk about." Pollen floated up, floating in front of the screen, blocking his view and setting her paws on his hips. Adrien paused the game, blinking at the little bee, frowning slightly.

"Adrien," Pollen started, "you need to get your priorities straight. And _think_ about this."

Adrien stared at her, brow raised. "Think about what?"

"This," Pollen waved to him, "isn't going to work out. You are lying to Ladybug—"

"She isn't interested in Chat Noir though," Adrien huffed, setting his controller down. "Her being interested in me is a breakthrough! And it's only a little lie that'll last for a little longer. Soon we'll date and you'll be with someone else."

"Oh yes," Pollen sassed, "I'm being such a silly bee for not liking this dishonest approach." She jerked her hip out, setting her paws on them and giving the boy a firm look. "This is ignoring my purpose. Why I was released. I'm here because Ladybug needs help—"

"And she'll get it soon," Adrien said. "But we don't really need it—"

"You don't think so because you aren't Ladybug." Pollen breathed in and released. "Ladybug's mission is to get the butterfly miraculous back, as well as keep Paris safe and in order. Dating you isn't apart of that mission, and you as her partner should be helping her in any way you can." Adrien moved to speak and Pollen quickly said, "I will admit, one of the reasons she chose you was because she has a crush on you and did want to get closer with you, but it was also because you were kind and hardworking. She thought you would be perfect to join her and Chat Noir, that you would be a big help. Do you think this is helping, Adrien?"

He was quiet for a moment, lips pursed as he stared down at the controller in his hand. With a soft sigh, he murmured, "It would be just for a little while longer, until the first akuma—"

"It should be sooner," Pollen said. "You are deceiving her and taking advantage of this—"

"We'll both be happy though," he argued quietly.

"Right now, you are caring more about your happiness than hers. You're putting your interest above your objective and being very inconsiderate."

"I'm always considerate—"

"Oh, I don't know," Plagg voiced, drifting over and laying over the back of the couch. "You didn't really consider Marinette's feelings when you tricked her to go on a date with Nino."

Adrien turned to Plagg, looking betrayed. "That was, I was helping—"

"And Theo, you weren't considerate there."

"Plagg!"

"Adrien."

He turned to Pollen, seeing her gazing down at him coolly. "It's time to start thinking about these things, to really consider all of this. There are better ways."

Miffed with the two, Adrien turned off the tv, got up and walked away, grumbling, "You two don't need to gang up on me."

"Adrien Agreste, do not walk away from me," Pollen called out, zipping after him, set to get through to him. Plagg stared after them, instead of pursuing, he stretched from where he lounged on the back of the couch, well aware that if there was a point Adrien didn't care for, he would brush it off or ignore it. Plagg turned away, lounging out on the couch, deeming he's done enough to try and involve himself.

* * *

Adrien stared at his computer, feeling frustrated and tired, and unsure. He scrolled through the Ladyblog, looking at pictures of him and Ladybug, picturing them dating, replaced with pictures of Ladybug and Adrien. It was a nice scene in his mind, both of them happy and close and everything was perfect in the world.

But… he thought about Pollen's words, looking back to the agitated bee kwami, zipping around, huffing and pouting, agitated with him brushing her off.

Just the thought had him agitated again, defensive. He had a right to pursue his love. He had a right to happiness and be with who he wanted to be. She unknowingly gave him a chance to get closer to her, as himself, as Adrien. If Chat Noir didn't cut, then yes, he was eager to try and get further as Adrien, as Stinger Bee.

And this wasn't going to last. Just a little while longer, there would be another bee and he would be dating Ladybug. It's what he wanted and soon Ladybug would get what she wanted and it would all work out. Everyone would be happy. He's got this.

Doesn't he?

Adrien sighed, unsure of what was going on. He wanted to be happy, to be sure of this, but as he stared at the picture of them, he couldn't muster up a happy feeling. A feeling that's been spoiled by his kwamis. He skidded away from his computer, slouching back in his seat, lips pursed. He looked over to Pollen, still going off, an agitated blur. When she turned to him, Adrien felt a spike of stubborn childishness and turned away. He was set to just pout in his chair when there was a soft knock on his glass.

Adrien turned, sucking in a sharp breath to see a sheepish Ladybug hanging before his window, giving him a small wave.

Ladybug was here.

 _Ladybug was here_.

Adrien jumped out of his seat, almost tripping over himself in his rush and hurried to the window, pulling it open as he stared up at. He greeted softly, "Hi."

"Hey," she returned, glancing at his room. "May I?"

"Yes! Yes! Come in, come in." He drew away, watching Ladybug slip in, seeing her in his room, giddy. "Is there something that I can help you with?"

"No, just dropping by, seeing how you're doing," she said, turning to him, her smile bashful, sweet, and adorable.

"Oh, we're doing just fine," Pollen voiced, drawing near with a tight smile, eyeing Adrien. "It's good to see you again Ladybug, I hope me being out is a big relief."

"Oh, it is," Ladybug said, offering her hand to Pollen, smiling at the kwami. "Nice to see that you're settling in just fine." To Adrien, she said with a grin, "I hope she didn't startle you too much."

"Oh no," Adrien waved off, "she was a… nice surprise."

"Hey, did you know there was a patrol tonight?" Ladybug asked.

"I did," Adrien reassured, "just had homework to do."

Pollen gave a loud hum.

Ladybug gave a start, looking alarmed. "Were you able to get it done? Am I interrupting? Oh no, I am, I am so sorry I'll go—"

"No! No, it's ok. I got it done," Adrien quickly reassured, setting a hand on her shoulder, beaming. "You came at a good time." Her soft smile made his heart skip beats, it made him excited, feel like he flying. Eagerly, he pulled her along to the couch, offering her a controller. "You want to play a game with me?"

"I can play for a game," she agreed, accepting it and settling on the couch, beaming as she turned to the screen.

Resisting the urge to wiggle in excitement, Adrien sat next to her, eager to play with his crush. Pulling up SMU, the two delved into it, Adrien having a start at how easily Ladybug was beating him. Frantic, Adrien delved into button mashing, set to try and get in the same league as her.

Ladybug though just leaned back, playing at her leisure, her fingers gliding over the controls. She voiced, eyes set to the screen, "You know, I am glad you accepted the bee miraculous."

Adrien spared her a fast glance then quickly turned back to the screen. "Oh?"

"You're going to be a great addition to the team," she said. "And, I'm glad getting Pollen didn't overwhelm you like the ladybug did me."

Adrien paused and his robot went down, the ladybug based bot growing in size. He glanced at her, brow raised. "The ladybug miraculous overwhelmed you?"

"Tikki said I was the chosen one, that it was up to me to save Paris and keep it safe and see that akumas are cleansed and everything restored and, well, you remember how that first time went." Ladybug glanced at him then quickly looked away, eyes set on the screen, watching her bot pose and flex. "I was ashamed and overwhelmed enough that I gave up the earrings, I was going to give them away."

He stared at her, surprised. "But you're here," he noted.

"I am," she confirmed. "I saw how dangerous this was, why I was needed, why Ladybug was needed. I saw a dear friend got hurt and…" Ladybug breathed in, setting the controller in her lap. "It made me realize how important this was, it was why I put the earrings back on, why I continued as Ladybug. Chat Noir and I are the only ones that are standing between Paris and Hawk Moth." She smiled, turning her soft gaze to him. "And now there's you too, you're going to help us keep Paris safe and I… thank you, Adrien, for taking this on."

Adrien stared at her, those giddy feelings he had earlier dwindling away.

At his stare, Ladybug went red. "An-anyway! Sorry, um, sh-shall we continue?"

"Yeah…"

They slipped into the next fight, Ladybug winning almost immediately as Adrien's mind wandered, lingering on her words, about what she said.

Behind them, Pollen floated, paws clasped together. She drifted back, coming to settle next to Plagg. The two sat, hidden from sight, watching the two quiet heroes.


	8. Chapter 8

**HEADS UP.**

 **So, with this turning more into Adrien is flawed fic, renamed it to A Romantic's Sting. Also, for personal reasons, moving onto Archive of Our Own. I will finish the fics I have up here, but everything new will be on Ao3.**

* * *

Adrien slouched at his desk, staring down at the bee miraculous, leaning heavily on his hand. What once brought him great joy now kind of just… his feelings were spoiled. The bee miraculous laid still, gleaming beautifully, looking like it was mocking him. He reached out, running his finger over the smooth jewel, feeling the detail on it, the ridges and curve of it. It was beautifully done, it was the miraculous that gave him a chance to pursue Ladybug, to be with his love. But…

"Here, Honey."

Adrien glanced up, seeing Pollen smiling softly at him, holding out a cookie. "I heard you don't like cheese, I thought this could be a better alternative."

Adrien offered her a small smile and accepted the cookie, sighing as he leaned back, staring down at the bee miraculous. Pollen settled near it, wiping a dark paw over the gleaming comb. Glancing up to him, she said, "You'll be ok."

"Even after this?" He gave a dry chuckle. "After being really selfish."

Pollen smiled. "Acknowledgement is a solid step. Adrien, you are bound to make mistakes, to be selfish, and just," Pollen shook her body, "ruffle up some fuzz. It is bound to happen in some way. There's no avoiding it."

Adrien looked down, sagging in his seat.

"It's how you grow." Pollen tapped his nose, offering him a smile as she floated before him. "You make mistakes, you acknowledge them, learn and grow from them. Improve upon yourself. It'll make you an even better hero."

Adrien picked up the bee, considering Pollen's words. "I can make this better?" he asked.

"You can," Plagg confirmed, coming near and landing down beside them, looking up at Adrien lazily. "But it will be up to you on how."

Adrien frowned.

Pollen and Plagg darted away, the bee murmuring to the huffing cat. Alone, Adrien tightened his grip on the bee miraculous, his chance to be with Ladybug, to win her over. He dropped his hand, leaning forward and pressing his forehead into his palm.

He released a shaky breath, feeling sick, exhausted, frustrated, and… guilty. Licking his lips, he called out, "Pollen…"

The kwami drew near, gazing at him with her ancient eyes.

"Let's fly high."

* * *

Ladybug felt unsteady as she flew through Paris, heading for Parc Monceau, her brows furrowed.

Adrien had called her, asking to see her, his voice sounding grave and tired. It left her concerned on what was wrong, what could be bothering him. Was he ok? Did something come up? It left her fretful, stressing on what could be going on. He was just a day in and he was calling her sounding upset and her mind was flying at all the what ifs.

His father found out.

Or Chloe discovered him.

Adrien and Pollen had a fight.

Or maybe he's getting cold feet—

Ladybug landed at the park's entrance, stopping to breath in, and then released. "It's ok, it's alright," she told herself. "Don't freak out, maybe it's a small thing. Maybe it can be easily resolved. Yeah, it'll be ok. It'll work out."

With a small gulp, she wandered through the dark park, searching for Adrien. She paused when she saw him on a bridge, detransformed, looking down on something.

Feeling unsteady, Ladybug walked closer, her body feeling shaky, nervous on what was going on.

Adrien looked up, giving her a small, weak smile only for it to quickly fall away when she returned it.

She reached for him, her voice soft. "Hey, you ok?"

"Ladybug," Adrien mumbled, closing his eyes, enjoying her touch on his shoulder, the warmth seeping from her hand. "Hi."

She chuckled, her smile nervous. "Hi. So, what's wrong?" She glanced at his hand, seeing the little black box she had snuck into his bag. "Did something happen?"

"Yeah, I…" He sighed, clutching the box before he relaxed and offered it to her. "I, I'm sorry." She blinked at him, baffled. He nudged her hand, prompting her to take the box. "I have to be honest with you, Ladybug. I only accepted the miraculous to have a chance with you, not to be a hero. Not to help you, not how you want me too. I just, I accepted it to have a chance with you."

Ladybug sucked in a breath, drawing away from him, staring at him, mixed emotions and confusion running through her. Confusion, surprise, delight, hurt. Adrien only accepted it to have a chance with her, not to really help them. Not how she wanted.

She closed her eyes, tightening her grip on the box. She shook her head, gazing up at him, her stare set and firm. Adrien winced back, looking away.

"I don't understanding," Ladybug declared, staring at him. "Why can't you? You can do both. You can be a hero and, well." She looked away, cheeks going pink. "I care for the help, I care for you being willing to help me and Chat, not your reason for being a hero. And, well, being heroes should be the priority yes but… I wouldn't mind—"

"Ladybug. I can't be Stinger Bee, I… I can't do that to you, not anymore. I only accepted it to have a chance with you, I can't give you the help you need as Stinger Bee. I can't be your bee hero. You," he stopped, taking a shaky breath. "You need to choose someone else. I, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I did that. I'm sorry I deceived you and…"

"Then don't let it be a deception anymore."

Adrien went quiet, staring down at the ring on his hand, feeling frustrated. He gave a start as Ladybug came around to stand before him, presenting the box to him again. "It doesn't have to be that way, Adrien. You don't have to deceive me. I know you have potential, I know you can do this. You can be a hero, you can be an amazing hero. You're kind and your so patience and earnest and you care so much for others. You're so… genuine." She took his hand, setting the box in his palm, smiling at him softly as she gazed up at him. "You can be a hero, Adrien. I know you can."

"Sounds like you know me very well," Adrien murmured.

Her smile grew, soft and coy. "I'm a lot closer to you than you think. And that's how I know that you can do this. Your reason can change." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I want to work with you, Adrien. You can do this."

For a moment, he wrapped his fingers around the box, a delightful warmth settling on his chest.

 _Keep it_ , his heart whispered. Ladybug wasn't so upset with him. She had so much faith in him. So much trust…

His gaze settled on the ring on his finger, the reason why he couldn't accept it.

He was Chat Noir. He was already helping her. As much as he wanted to keep the bee, be her partner and hero…

The bee miraculous was released for a third party member, so that they can have more help, not to give him the chance that he's been dreaming for.

He gazed into Ladybug's eyes, taking in the warmth and reassurance in those blue pools, the faith and trust she had in him.

He took the box away from her grasp, feeling his chest hurt as her smile grew with happiness. Adrien quickly looked away, setting the box on the railing, whispering, "I'm sorry, Ladybug."

Before she could stop him, he raced away, set to keep away from that little box, set to no longer deceive her and continue this.

"Adrien!" she called out and Adrien faster, his heart aching as she called for him, sounding so hurt and shocked. He ducked into the woods, falling to his knees, keeping out of sight, breathing hard. He listened to her call for him, listening to that hurt. He leaned back, biting his lip to resist answering.

When it went quiet, Adrien didn't move, just listening to his shaky breath and the soft song of the night.

"You ok, Kid?"

Adrien opened his eyes, seeing Plagg float before him, ears down. Biting his lip harder as his eyes started to water, Adrien shook his head, rubbing his eyes against his elbow.

It was for the best, he told himself, repeating it over and over again in a mantra. He couldn't do this, couldn't continue that. It was for the best…

And the kwamis understood, Tikki for sure did.

She was relieved the bee was returned and that they could find another to truly help.

But she still couldn't help but ache as she hovered close to Marinette, watching her holder cry into her pillows, face pressed against them as she wailed and gasped. There weren't any words Tikki could provide that would help, she knows that there weren't.

The kwami only drifted down, nuzzling against Marinette's back, whispering, "I'm sorry, Marinette, I'm sorry…"

It was for the best, Tikki agreed, but this still didn't make it easier. The kwami closed her eyes and pressed harder against Marinette, feeling her back jerk and rise. For the whole night, she stayed close, her quiet support.


	9. Chapter 9

Marinette was back to square one.

She sat at her desk, pouting as she leaned on her hand, staring down at the little box Adrien had returned. Had rejected. Hadn't wanted to be a hero, to work with her and Chat.

Marinette closed her eyes, pressing her forehead into her palm. Tikki leaned on her other hand, rubbing her paws over the skin soothingly, not moving and simply letting Marinette know she was there, letting Marinette work through this.

Marinette took a shaky breath and released. "So," she started, a tremor in her voice. "We, we need to find another bee."

"Did you want to consider others?" Tikki asked. "There are other classes in Francoise Dupont."

Marinette shook her head. "I'd rather keep to my class…"

Marinette looked towards her classmates once more, looking at them with new eyes. She asked, "What should I really consider?"

"I would advise someone who is really involved with others, who really cares and will make time to care. There's also someone who's very hardworking with a strong sense of a community." Tikki floated up, sitting on the little black box. "Another thing to consider is what can be gained."

"Gained?" Marinette repeated.

Tikki nodded. "Something I didn't mention before, not only should a miraculous be given out to those that match, but there's also something that can be gained. You are good at planning and acting as needed, which makes you a solid Ladybug, but there was something for you to gain as well: confidence in yourself and your capability. Something that you needed."

Marinette stared down at Tikki, considering this. Then turned her gaze to her classmates, looking at them in a new light.

Someone that matched but could gain something… who could gain what?

Her gaze slid on each of her classmates' faces, considering them and really thinking about their potential, what they could gain or what could be improved upon. Her brow furrowed, leaning closer to the picture, considering everyone.

Her gaze settled on one, really thinking about this option.

Yes, this will work.

That's the bee.

Below Marinette, Tikki smiled, pleased to see the eager gleam in Marinette's eye. She found another bee. One that will work this time.

* * *

Adrien sat outside alone, leaning on his hand at the cafe's table, watching the cubes of his iced tea drift and circle each other, lazy and carefree. It was almost calming. Or maybe it was Adrien feeling numb.

He did what was for the best, he knows he did. He couldn't go on pretending to be two different heroes. He couldn't go on deceiving Ladybug, taking advantage of her interest to keep the bee and take that somewhere, as tempting as it was. It wasn't the right approach, not when Ladybug wanted more help.

It was for the best, or so Adrien kept telling himself.

But, it was still a missed chance. Ladybug, who he's been dreaming to be with since day one, who filled his every thought and was the core of his motivation. He had a chance and he missed it and…

Adrien slouched on his hand, bummed.

Plagg scoffed in his pocket, wiggling out and giving him a look. "Cheese, kid. You're acting like it's the end of the world."

"I messed up," Adrien mumbled. "I missed my chance. And Ladybug probably hates me."

"Good grief," Plagg muttered.

"I was so close, Pla- ow!"

Plagg gave him a glare. "Get over it," the kwami said. "You messed up kid. Ladybug's upset, yeah, but it's for the best. And believe me, it's not the end of the world."

"It feels like it," Adrien said.

Plagg sighed. "Maybe it's a sign, maybe it's time to think more than just romance. Think about your future, what you want to do."

Adrien blinked and Plagg listed off, "Marinette wants to be a fashion designer, Chloe wants to be mayor, Alya a reporter, and Nino a director. Now, what do you want to do? Can't quite make a living out of being only Chat Noir."

Adrien cracked a grin. "It is something that I love."

"Yeah but that can't be your only means of living. Plus I don't want to be in that damn ring all the time. I have cheese to eat!"

Adrien scoffed, cracking a slight grin. It fell away as he looked at his table top. Before him, Plagg sighed and dove into the pocket, deciding to just let the boy angst it out. Pollen'll be happy that he did his bit, but he couldn't go farther till Adrien was ready to listen.

Left alone, Adrien just sat at the table, watching the ice cubes circle. He gave a start when the table jostled, looking up to see an old man's apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to disturb you."

Adrien cracked a smile, shaking his head and reassuring, "No, it's ok. I was just… thinking."

The old man hummed, leaning back in his seat, closing his eyes and relaxing. He made no move to prompt Adrien, but the boy found the words slipping past his lips.

"I did something deceptive, trying to get something that I've been wanting for a long time and it was within my reach but… I realized that wasn't the best route to go by. I fixed it. And, and now I think I lost my chance. I know what I did was right and for the best but…"

Adrien ran a hand through his hair, blinking as his vision blurred.

Across from him, the old man smiled gently. He reached out, patting Adrien's hand as he said, "Doing the right thing isn't always easy. If it was, everyone would do it." He got up, leaning on his cane. "Don't let it weigh you down, my boy. Just because a door closes doesn't mean it stays closed. And if it does, well, another door shall open sometime, someday."

"Yeah… thanks."

With a nod, the old man departed, leaving Adrien alone to contemplate, taking comfort that yeah, there was still a chance and future. It was just hard now.

It'll get better, he knows, it was just… hard now.

With Plagg leaning on his body, hidden in his pocket, Adrien closed his eyes and took a sip of his drink, releasing a sigh.

He hoped things would get better soon.

* * *

With a quiet sigh, Rose slipped in, closing the door to the apartment behind her, her bag feeling heavy at her side, weighed down by books and papers of all the school work she was to do today. Work she really didn't want to do today. Work Mendeleiv just piled onto her out of spite for daydreaming.

Rose knows that it was wrong of her to daydream, to not pay attention but… it was boring and her mind wandered so easily.

Shaking her head, Rose went down the hall, heading for her room. She stopped by her mother's room, looking over the note taped to the door.

 _Worked all night, dinner's in the fridge, love maman'_

"Oh dear," Rose murmured sending a knowing glance back to the kitchen. When her Maman was tired, she wasn't quite the best cook. Rose hurried to her room, setting her things down, ignoring how they fell over and went to the kitchen. In the fridge, she found a pot of pasta half cooked with the noodles still hard. With a slight wince, Rose took it out and set it on the stove, heating it up and hoping that the sauce could help soften the noodles.

She slipped back into her room with a sigh, ready to try and work through the mountain of homework she was given. As she reached for her bag, she paused, spotting a little black box she never saw before.

"What this?" she wondered, reaching for the little box, opening it up. She was able to catch a glimpse of a beautiful bee comb before a golden light floated out of it, dimming down to reveal bee like being floating before her.

Rose sucked in a breath, dropping the little box and scrambling back as the being opened its eyes and smiled down at her.

"Hello, Honey."

* * *

 **There is a planned sequel called Sweeter than Honey, Julerose with bits of Ladrien. Since it's a sequel, I will make an exception and post it here as well, but all other new fics I do will be on Ao3.**

 **Thank you guys for reading!**


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